The present invention relates to a flight of steps, stairs and the like of the type with which at least one pipe, suitably made of a plastics material, is mounted beneath the treads of the flight of steps or stairs and arranged to conduct a heat transmitting medium to maintain the steps or stairs free from ice and snow.
When constructing steps or stairs of the aforementioned type, the pipe through which the heating medium is conducted is normally delivered to the working site in the form of pipe which has been wound in a straight and cold condition onto drums or the like of relatively large diameter, and hence from the point of view of laying the pipe, is equivalent to straight pipe. Because of the relative inflexibility of the pipe, it is normally necessary to place it on the structural members of the steps, e.g. the step reinforcing frame structure, in such a manner that portions of the pipe in the finished flight of steps extend traversely of the steps beneath the treads, while other portions of the pipe connecting together the transversely extending pipe portions are located outside the steps in the form of wide connecting loops. The connecting loops must be placed externally of the steps on either side thereof and fulfill no useful purpose other than that of connecting together the transversely extending pipe portions. This method of construction often results in high building costs and excessively bulky step or stair structures.
With another method of constructing steps or stairs of the aforementioned type, the system of pipes for conducting the heating medium is constructed of straight lengths of pipe placed transversely and longitudinally of the flight of steps and connected together by means of pipe couplings or the like. Although this method of construction enables the steps or stairs to be kept within reasonable dimensions, the costs involved are high and the flow conditions for the heating medium unfavorable, while at the same time there is a serious danger of leaks occurring.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above disadvantages.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a flight of steps, stairs and the like having pipe means arranged to conduct heating medium to maintain the steps free from ice and snow, said pipe means being permanently pre-shaped to present interconnected substantially arcuate portions and extending substantially in the longitudinal direction of the flight of steps in a tortuous path such as to present substantially arcuate interconnected looped portions located within the confines of the flight of steps and curving alternately towards either side of the flight of steps, said pipe means being arranged beneath the treads and risers of the steps in planes extending substantially parallel with said treads and risers, said pipe means extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of said flight of steps at the junctions between treads and risers.
The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to an embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawing, further advantages and features of the invention being made apparent in connection therewith.